30 Days of Passion and Revenge-Chapter 280: Run Me Over

The look of fierce determination on Ethan Blackwood’s face when he stepped on the accelerator... It felt as if it had just happened moments ago.

He honestly didn’t care whether he ran her over, whether she lived or died...

How could someone change so suddenly, so completely?

Unknowingly, Lily Anderson found herself in Central Park. She had thought about leaving, about arranging a final goodbye with Ethan at Central Park... But in the end, she hadn’t been able to go.

Central Park looked the same as always. The little shop selling sweet fruit soup at the entrance was still there...

Nothing had changed.

Lily stared blankly at the fruit soup inside the shop, her gaze fixed and unyielding.

The shopkeeper noticed her staring and enthusiastically offered, "Miss, would you like a cup of fruit soup? It’s delicious!"

Lily shook her head and turned to leave.

She only had a card with her, no cash. She couldn’t buy the fruit soup.

She wandered alone through Central Park, watching elderly men and women practicing tai chi and families laughing as they ran with balloons and kites...

Parks always seemed to be places filled with warmth.

Without realizing it, Lily arrived at the bench where she had waited for Ethan the last time. Her fingers brushed over the bench’s surface, and she couldn’t help but shudder.

The memories came flooding back.

She remembered Ethan telling her that she would never show him her back again...

But this time, he was walking away, leaving her with his back, and so decisively.

Lily sat quietly on the bench, alone, entirely alone...

"Miss, this is for you." The shopkeeper from earlier suddenly appeared in front of her, holding a cup of fruit soup with a big smile.

Lily looked at him in surprise. "For me?"

"Yes, yes. It’s my pleasure to treat a beautiful lady to some fruit soup," the shopkeeper chirped, placing the cup on the bench before scurrying away.

Treat her to fruit soup?

Then why hadn’t he offered it earlier when she stood in front of his shop?

Lily picked up the cup of fruit soup, and a thought suddenly flashed through her mind. She quickly stood up, looking around.

It was Ethan.

Was he still following her?

Lily searched her surroundings but couldn’t see his familiar silhouette. In a rush, she ran back toward the shop. The shopkeeper looked momentarily startled by her return but quickly put on another friendly smile. "Miss, is something wrong with the one you’re holding? What would you like? I can make you a new one right away."

His eagerness only deepened her suspicion.

"Did someone ask you to give this to me?!" Lily asked directly.

The shopkeeper’s eyes widened in surprise as if caught off guard, but he quickly waved his hands. "No, no, it’s from me. I gave it to you."

"Where is he?"

Lily’s pale face lit up with a faint glimmer of hope as she pressed him for an answer.

She didn’t know why, but she felt an uncontrollable surge of excitement... an uncontainable hope...

"I don’t know, I don’t know! I don’t know..." the shopkeeper stammered, unwilling to say more.

"Please, tell me..."

"I don’t know."

The shopkeeper refused to say anything else, leaving Lily with no choice but to search Central Park alone. The park was filled with winding paths, trees, and small hills...

Lily searched everywhere, even checking the parking lot, but she couldn’t find any car resembling one from the Blackwood family.

The fruit soup in her hand gradually grew cold, but she still hadn’t found Ethan.

It could only be him.

No one else would know to buy her a cup of fruit sou...no one else but him.

Lily refused to give up. She continued searching as if determined to prove something. She wandered through the park, weaving between the trees.

Maybe, in the next moment, Ethan’s tall figure would appear from behind a tree, glaring at her with his usual domineering intensity, saying, "Lily Anderson, you are my woman!"

But moment after moment passed, and Ethan never appeared.

Discovering him behind any tree was no sudden surprise. Like a child who had lost her way home, Lily walked back and forth, searching and searching...

But she found nothing. In the end, all she was left with was helplessness.

This season’s weather had been bad, and soon enough, rain began to fall. The sky darkened, stripping away all the vibrancy of the day.

Lily joined the group of elderly tai chi practitioners, taking shelter from the rain under a pavilion in the park.

All around, people sought refuge from the downpour.

Standing under the pavilion, Lily scanned the park for a familiar figure among the crowd.

He once told her he could sense her presence within two meters.

Why couldn’t she develop the same ability? Why couldn’t she find him?

She knew he was there but couldn’t tell where he was.

Ethan Blackwood, stop playing hide-and-seek with me... Where are you? Just talk to me. Stop avoiding me...

Why had he left her? Why had he abandoned her?

The park settled into stillness as everyone found places to await the rain. For a moment, no one moved.

The heavy rain poured down, splashing countless droplets as it hit the ground.

The sky was dark, almost like night had fallen.

Lily stretched out her hand, letting the rain hit her palm. The drops struck her skin so hard they stung.

"Miss, don’t do that. The rain will soak you, and you’ll catch a cold," an elderly woman practicing tai chi said, pulling Lily back into the pavilion with a concerned look.

Catch a cold?

If she got drenched and caught a cold, would Ethan show up?

The thought flashed through her mind, and without hesitation, Lily ran out into the pouring rain.

Behind her, the elderly men and women called out anxiously, "Miss, come back! The rain is too heavy! Even if you’re in a hurry, you can’t just run out into it—you’ll get sick!"

But Lily didn’t listen. She let the rain drench her repeatedly, washing over her.

The rain blurred her vision, but she kept looking, refusing to stop her search.

If Ethan had been here, he would have felt sorry for her, wouldn’t he?

He would show up. He wouldn’t let her get sick. He wouldn’t be able to bear it...

The rain poured down fiercely, its sound roaring in her ears.

From the pavilion, the elderly people waved at her, calling her back.

But Lily ran on, heedless of anything else, her eyes scanning everywhere. Ethan, where are you?!

She wiped her face, only for the rain to quickly cover it again, reducing her vision to a hazy blur. She couldn’t see clearly; she couldn’t find him...

She searched every possible place he might have taken shelter, but Ethan was nowhere to be found.

She knew he was here. He had to be...

Lily clutched the cup of fruit soup in her hand, running through the rain for an eternity. The people sheltering from the rain looked at her like she was crazy.

The vast park was blanketed by endless rain, the drops bouncing off the ground like tiny fireworks.

Lily was soaked entirely, shivering from the cold.

All she could see was rain. Only rain. No familiar figure.

Disappointment turned to despair.

If he was here, how could he not show up? How could he let her endure this alone?

Suddenly, an umbrella appeared above her, shielding her from the storm.

Plop—

The cup of fruit soup slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.

Lily’s heart stopped. She turned around in excitement. "Ethan—"

Alex Carter stood behind her, holding the umbrella. His eyes flickered with a trace of pain. "You’ve reduced yourself to this... all for him?"

"Alex..."

Lily stared at him in a daze. Alex held the umbrella over her, exposing most of his body to the rain. Half of his shoulder was already soaked.

"You’re only hurting yourself, and the only person who will care is someone who truly loves you," Alex said, his warm brown eyes soft and his gentle voice standing out amidst the rain.

She was hurting herself, and Ethan still hadn’t appeared...

Why had he changed so much and so quickly?

"Don’t keep doing foolish things for Ethan Blackwood."

"Without him, I have nothing..." Lily’s voice broke, trembling with emotion. "Don’t you understand? Without him, I don’t know where and what to do..."

"I’m lost..."

"Lily."

"When my parents died, I was just as lost, just as panicked. I didn’t know what to do... I was all alone. Just me, all by myself!" Lily cried out, her body sinking into a crouch as tears poured down, mingling with the rain, warming the cold drops that washed over her.

Alex stood there, holding the umbrella as he looked at her, sobbing on the ground. His heart twisted painfully.

His Lily—the girl he had always considered his bride since they were young...

Now, she was crying over another man right before him.

And yet, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling heartache for her.

If her life had only been thrown into chaos twice, once as a child and now again... then this time, Alex Carter wouldn’t let her face it alone.

He let go of the umbrella, allowing the rain to drench them.

The icy rain struck Lily again without the umbrella’s cover, making her shiver violently.

"If you want to stand in the rain, I’ll stand with you. I’ll stay until you’re ready to leave," Alex said resolutely, his tone as unyielding as ever.

Lily crouched on the ground, hugging herself as the rain poured over her, washing away everything...

"At least in this city, you still have me as a friend."

Alex’s gentle voice felt like a warm current flowing through her.

Hearing his words, Lily stared blankly at the ground.

Even Alex couldn’t bear to watch her in the rain. Where was Ethan? Where had he gone?

"Lily, even if this world truly leaves you entirely alone, you still need to live for yourself," Alex continued, his voice steady as he pressed a hand to his injured arm.

Raindrops fell, mixed with fresh red blood—one drop, two drops, three drops...

"You’re bleeding," Lily whispered, looking up at him in shock.

He had already been hurt saving her, and now he was standing in the rain with her...

"It’s just a scratch."

Alex smiled gently, his gaze soft and understanding as if he could forgive her for everything.

"Go home."

"I told you, I’ll stay until you’re ready to leave. If you don’t leave, I won’t either."

Alex’s persistence filled Lily with guilt.

"Let’s go."

She didn’t deserve to make Alex stand in the rain with her... didn’t deserve to drag him into her foolishness...

Alex smiled, his expression warm and handsome, his smile in the rain captivating.

"Come on." He bent down, took her hand, helping her up from the ground. Her cold, soft fingers rested against his palm.

It had been so long since he’d held her hand.

He held it tightly.

Once standing, Lily subtly pulled her hand back and turned to look at the rain-soaked park, her gaze still searching...

Ethan wasn’t there.

She couldn’t find him. She couldn’t find him...

"Let’s go," Alex said softly, his eyes dimming as he lowered his hand. Acting as if nothing was wrong, he added, "Stop looking. He’s not here."